Carlo’s reaction was swift, his eyes clouding as he mind-linked the rest of the pack. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, not yet fully initiated into the pack myself. Carlo and I had agreed to wait until after my Showdown for the ceremony. We had waited a moment too long.
Chaos erupted all around as fear took hold. Parents snatched their children, racing away from the rogues as fast as they could. Already, blood began to seep into the grass, and I felt my muscles threaten to freeze in terror.
But not this time. My gaze swept across the families—the children, the parents, the elders. This wasn’t about me anymore; it was about them. I had a choice: I could run for safety, abandon everything I had fought for, or I could stand and fight, unleashing the anger that had been building inside m
